Fire-alarm.



E. LAMOUREUX.

FIRE ALARM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 22, 1909. 946,857, Patented Jan. 18,1910.

0 000000 0000000000000 0( m w I39 l jfi [0/140/1/0 Mama/wax Witnesses Inventor,

Attorneys UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDMOND LAMOUREUX, OF MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA. ASSIG-NOR F ONE-HALF TO ALFRED PHILEAS LACHANCE, OF GARDNER, MASSACHUSETTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 22,

will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same.

The in vcntion to be hereinafter described relates to fire alarm apparatus, and. particularly to automatic lire alarm apparatus.

liroadly speaking it comprises a casing provided with a plurality oi perforations or opening. adapted to allow the entrance of heat and heated gases. a. compound expansion bar pivotally mounted in the casing. a hook or trigger for holding one end of said expansion bar raised. means for automatically operating the trigger to allow the expansion. bar to drop. an alarn'i. operated by the droppingot the bar, and means for lock ing the expansion bar in inoperative posilion.

in order to more clearly disclose the con structioi'i. operation and use of the invention, reference shouhl he had to the acconn ianying drawings forming part ot the present appli ration.

. Throughout the several views oi the drawings, like reference characters designate the same parts.

luv the drawings: Figure 1 is a plan view ot the invention: and, Fig. 2 is a vertical lougitiulinal section.

In the preferred. form oi? the invention, a pertorate box-like casing 1 may be used to contain the operative parts of the device. Pivotally mounted within the casing 1 is a hollow framework 2. Parallel rods 3 are passed lonp'itudiinilly through this trame, and on them are slidably mounted a plurality of compound expansion bars at, of well known construction. The rearinost expansion bar is provided with a hook or clip 5. Normally, and when the bars are not eX- panded by heat, this clip rests upon a bar 6, which is adjustably mounted on rods 7 which extend rearwardly from the cross piece 8. which cross piece is rigidly secured a to the sides of the casing 1. From the cross piece 8, a supporting yoke 9 extends rearwardly. This yoke acts as a brace tor the Patented Jan. 18, 1910.

1909. Serial No. 484,981.

extreme ends of the rods 7, to prevent their bending under the weigl'it of the frame su. pended vfrom the bar (3. T he bar 6 is threaded into or otherwise connected to the rods 7. The rods 7 are provided with threaded ends which are passed through holes in the cross piece 8, and adapted to re ceive nuts 9. By screwing these nuts down upon the ends of the rods T, the rods may be drawn through the cross piece 8 so that the bar (3 is moved toward the cross piece 8. in order to hold the bar 6 in adjusted position. a lent-spring is provided. This lea'l spring secured to the cro 1' piece 8. and its opposite ends bear against the face of the bar (3. lonsequently, the bar will be adjusted against the pressure of the spring. and there will he no pos. bility of the rods 7 slipping throug'l'l the cross piece 8. The reverse movement of the bar (3 is effected by simply nnscrmving the nuts 9 and allowing the spring 10 to force the bar rcarwardly. in this way. the hook or clip which acts as a trigger may he adjusted as to operate for practically any desired amount of expansion.

The frame is not pivoted at its center. Consequently, the portion on one side of the pivot is heavier than the portion on the other side. The heavier portion is provided with the clip 5, which holds this heavier portion normally raised. or course, as soon as the clip 5 is disengaged from the cross piece 8. this heavier end of the "rame will fall by gravity. As it Falls, the rear end of the frame will strike a foot 11 projecting from a bar connecting the lower ends of the arms o'l bell crank levers 12. which are provided with hooks 13 adapted to engage staples 1 1' (OI'IDQCl'QCl to a weighted cylinder 15 and projectingthroug h slots in the rear all of the casing. As the bell crank levers are moved. the hooks 1?) will be drawn down and out of the staples 14.. and the weighted cylinder will be'tree to drop. In lieu of this bell crank lever and weight. device for giving an alarm, a cross bar 16 and push button 17 may be used. The push button 17 will be of the usual kind, adapted to close the circuit of an alarm bell, and the cross bar 16 will. be secured across the rear of the frame 2 in such position as to strike the push but.- ton when the frame has dropped to operative position.

At times it may be desired to lock the frame 2 in inoperative position. For this purpose, an eccentric 18 has been provided. This eccentric is secured to the shaft 19, which extends across the casing and is pro vided with a crank handle 20, which may be operated from the outside of the casing. The eccentric 1S lies directly above one of the longitudinal edges of the frame lVhen rotated to one position, it will engage the frame and force it down to inoperative position, and when rotated to the opposite position, it will permit free movement of the frame.

In order to render the working parts of the device readily accessible, the casing prov led with flanges adapted to cooperate with similar flanges depending from the cover 21. in this way, the cover may be readily slid on or off, as may be desired.

In using the device, the amount of movement caused by expansion of the compound bars 4: at a definite temperature should first be determined. Suppose that it is desired to have the device operate to give an alarm when the temperature rises beyond one hundred and seventy-five degrees (Fahrenheit), for instance. The eccentric 18 will be turned to force the short end of the frame 2 down, and the bar 6 will be adjusted so that it will be engaged by the hook or trigger The casing will now be heated to a temperature of one hundred and seventy-five degrees. If the combined expansion'of all of the compound bars 4- moves the clip 5 rearwardly sufficiently far to free it from the bar (3, as the temperature reaches one hundred and seventy-five degrees, the device will be properly set to operate at that temperature. If the hook or trigger 5 moved from the bar 6 before the temperature of one hundred and seventy-five degrees is reached, then the bar should be adjusted rearwardly until the clip remains in engagen'lent with it at a temperature of one hundred and seventy-five degrees. If one hundred and seventy-five degrees does not expand the compound bars sufiiciently. to free the hook or trigger 5 from the bar 6, then the bar should be moved forward toward the cross piece 8 until the clip will be freed at a tem' perature of one hundred and seventy-live degrees only. This device may be adjusted and set for any desired temperature in a similar manner. \Vhen the apparatus has been set so that it will operate at the predetermined temperature. it is placed in a building or room where it is desired to detect. a temperature in excess of that predetermined. lVhen the temperature rises beyond the predetermined point, the combined expansion of all of the compound bars 4 will move the hook or trigger rearwardly from engagement with the bar 6, thus freeing the frame 2 so that it will drop and strike the foot 11. As the frame strikes the foot 11, it will swing the bell crank levers 12, so that: the hooks 13 will be withdrawn from the staples lat. As the hooks 13 are Wll'lKltlWll, the weighted cylinder 15 will fall by gravity. As previously pointed out, the dropping of the frame 2 may be used to close an electric alarm circuit by engagement between the cross bar it; and the push button 17.

Changes may be made in. the construction. arrangement and disposition of the several parts of the invention, without in any way departing from the field and scope of the same, and it is meant to include all such with this application. wherein only a preferred form has been disclosed.

Having thus fully described my invention. what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An alarm of the character descril:)ed, comprising a casing, a framework pivotally mounted therein, the pivot of the framework being arranged at one side of the center of gravity of the framework. expansion bars inovably mounted within said framework, a cross piece mounted above said framework. a bar adjustably supported from said cross piece, a trigger carried by one of the aforesaid expansion bars and adapted under normal conditions to engage said last-named bar to hold the aforesaid frame in inoperative position. and an alarm automatically ope ated by dropping of the aforesaid frai'nework.

2. A fire alarm of the character described. comprising a casing. a pivotally mounted framework therein, the pivot of the framework being arranged at one side of the center of gravity of the framework; means for holding said fran'iework in inoperative position until a predetermined ten'iperature has been reached, means for forcing said frame to operative position after it has been dropped. and alarm mechanism automatically operated by dropping of said pivotally mounted frame.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

EDMt )ND LAMOUREUX.

\Vitnesses:

\V. S. BABCOCK, L. A. (in-\UYTN. 

